In November 2000, The Redan Company Ltd. launched a new comic aimed at young children.

A typical issue had comic strips, (containing real photographs from the episodes), competitions, puzzles and quizzes.

The main feature of the comic was the center page spread, of a cut-away drawing by Graham Bleathman. Artist Lee Sullivan also produced many of the covers for the series.

The comic had 32 pages and the original copies retailed for £1.45. This went up to £1.50 by issue No. 8, and kept on rising steadily with inflation until reaching £1.95 by issue 89. For the first 10 issues the comic was published monthly moving to 3 weekly from issue 11. Throughout the comic the young reader was encouraged to remove pull-out sections or colour in pages, making it very hard for collectors to find copies in a mint condition. Further damage occurred, as every issues contained a free gift sellotaped to the cover, again causing damages when removed.

By issue number 59, Thunderbirds had not been seen on British television for some time, and interest in the comic faded below acceptable sales figures. In an effort to regenerate interest, it was renamed "Thunderbirds Extra" and the first issue was numbered 64. Numbers 60, 61, 62 and 63, very few were sold.

Another reason for the re-launch was that it was the 40th year since the first television screening of Thunderbirds. The publication was again cancelled after only 26 further issues, and thus finally brought to a close at issue number 89.

The Original Issues

Issue Number 1

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Date Published: November 2000.
Free Gift: Shiny sticker sheet.
Cutaway Drawing: Thunderbird One.

Issue Number 2

Date Published: December 2000.
Free Gift: Thunderbirds Notebook and pencil.
Cutaway Drawing: Thunderbird Two.

Issue Number 3

Date Published: January 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbirds craft stickers.
Cutaway Drawing: Thunderbird Three.

Issue Number 4

Date Published: February 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 1 badge.
Cutaway Drawing: Thunderbird Four.

Issue Number 5

Date Published: March 2001.
Free Gift: "Brains' specks" (blue plastic glasses).
Cutaway Drawing: Thunderbird Five.

Issue Number 6

Date Published: April 2001.
Free Gift: Mini basketball (Non Thunderbird related).
Cutaway Drawing: "Gray Houseman's Highway Pathfinder".
Note: Cut-away = Road construction vehicle (seen in the episode End Of The Road).

Issue Number 7

Date Published: May 2001.
Free Gift: Jeff Tracy, plastic toy watch.
Cutaway Drawing: FAB 1 Rolls Royce.

Issue Number 8

Date Published: June 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 2 flyer.
Cutaway Drawing: Pacific-Atlantic Monorail (Seen in the episode Brink Of Disaster).

Issue Number 9

Date Published: July 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird Stickers (The 5 craft, Tracy brothers and IR logos)
Cutaway Drawing: Ocean Pioneer (Seen in the episode Danger At Ocean Deep).

Issue Number 10

Date Published: 7th August 2001.
Free Gift: Micro-mission case. (plastic with FAB logo).
Cutaway Drawing: "International Rescues Hover scooters" (Hoverjets)

Issue Number 11

Date Published: 28h August 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 3, Pinball game
Cutaway Drawing: Recovery Vehicle (Seen in the episode Pit of Peril).

Issue Number 12

Date Published: 18th September 2001.
Free Gift: FAB 1 Note pad.
Cutaway Drawing: The Domo (Seen in the episode The Duchess Assignment).

Issue Number 13

Date Published: 9th October 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 4 flyer.
Cutaway Drawing: The Pyramid of Kamanadadees (Seen in the episode The Uninvited).

Issue Number 14

Date Published: 30th October 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 5, bag tag.
Cutaway Drawing: The Hood's Temple.

Issue Number 15

Date Published: 20th November 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbirds Pencils.
Cutaway Drawing: The Firefly

Issue Number 16

Date Published: 10th December 2001.
Free Gift: Thunderbird craft, shiny stickers.
Cutaway Drawing: none

Issue Number 17

Date Published: 31st December 2001.
Free Gift: "Thunderbird are Go!" badge.
Cutaway Drawing: Transmitter Truck (seen in the episode Sun Probe)

Issue Number 18

Date Published: 15th January 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbird fridge magnet.
Cutaway Drawing: "U.S.A.F Jet" (Seen in the episode The Cham-Cham).
Notes: Cutaway is actually the RTL-2 Transporter plane. The fridge magnet was available in all five Thunderbird craft, to get a set you would have to buy five copies!.

Issue Number 19

Date Published: 5th February 2002.
Free Gift: "Thunderbirds are Go!" note book.
Cutaway Drawing: The Hood's 3E submarine (Seen in the episode Desperate Intruder).

Issue Number 20

Date Published: 26th February 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 3 flyer.
Cutaway Drawing: Jeremiah Tuttle's House (From the episode The Impostors).

Issue Number 21

Date Published: 19th March 2002.
Free Gift: Sticker sheet (Scott, Virgil, and Thunderbirds 1,2 & 3)
Cutaway Drawing: Thunderbird 1 launch bay.

Issue Number 22

Date Published: 9th April 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbirds maze puzzle.
Cutaway Drawing: "Pirate satellite TV station KLA" (From the episode Ricochet).

Issue Number 23

Date Published: 30th April 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 1 window sticker.
Cutaway Drawing: The Excavator from the episode Martian Invasion

Issue Number 24

Date Published: 21st May 2002.
Free Gift: A "Cards Inc" sticker book and sheet of six stickers.
Cutaway Drawing: FAB.2 (Lady Penelope's yacht, seen in the episode The Man From MI.5 ).

Issue Number 25

Date Published: 11th June 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbird 5 flyer.
Cutaway Drawing: The Crablogger from the episode Path of Destruction

Issue Number 26

Date Published: 2nd July 2002.
Free Gift:Thunderbird stickers (Thunderbirds 1 & 2, The Mole, Firefly, DOMO and the Transmitter truck).
Cutaway Drawing: The Fireflash.

Issue Number 27

Date Published: 23rd July 2002.
Free Gift: Mini basketball game.
Cutaway Drawing: No cutaway included.
Note: Same free gift as issue 6.

Issue Number 28

Date Published: 13th August 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbirds cap.
Cutaway Drawing: Seascape drilling rig from the episode Atlantic Inferno.

Issue Number 29

Date Published: 3rd September 2002.
Free Gift: Thunderbirds light-up pen.
Cutaway Drawing: Security Robot from 30 Minutes After Noon.

Issue Number 30

Date Published: 24th September 2002.
Free Gift: Brains' plastic toy watch.
Cutaway Drawing: Skythrust aircraft seen in the episode Alias Mr. Hackenbacker
Notes: Brains' watch, had a yellow strap, "Best of Thunderbirds" comic issue No.1, had a similar one with a blue strap.

Redan Thunderbirds Comics - Part Two

Part two can be found here: Redan Thunderbirds Comics - Part Two

Thunderbirds Extra

Main article: Redan Thunderbirds Extra

Magazines Specials

Main article: Redan Magazine Specials

Free Gift Collectables

Every magazine has a "pocket money toy" sellotaped to the cover, this list contains some of the more sort after by collectors.

Thunderbird Flyers

One of the most sort after collectables from this comic series, was the Thunderbird flyers. Better known as Frisbees, all five Thunderbird craft were released on the covers of the comic, but you had to wait until issue 37 to get the last one (Thunderbird 1) to complete a set.

Thunderbirds Hat

A Thunderbird hat was given away free with issue 28, and was similar in design to the much rarer ones released in 1965 by Berwick Toys and TV 21 magazine.

Trivia

"Thunderbirds the comic" by Fleetway publishers, was also canceled after 89 issues in March 1995.

Redan Thunderbirds Magazine